54 pages • 1-hour read
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
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Chapters 1-5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, religious discrimination, and racism.
Chapter 1 Summary
Major Pettigrew opens his front door to find Mrs. Ali, who works at the shop in the village. The Major, still reeling from a phone call with his brother’s wife, blurts out that his brother, Bertie, has just died. The Major got the call that morning. Mrs. Ali helps the Major into the house, seats him, and prepares tea. The Major reflects on the fact that his wife Nancy died six years ago. Bertie’s passing means that the Major should inherit Bertie’s gun, one of a set that their father bequeathed to them years ago; the two guns were meant to be rejoined one day. The Major imagines that the pair of guns, Churchills, are worth £100,000. He imagines that his guns will be admired when he attends shooting events.
As Mrs. Ali brings tea, the Major reflects that her husband died not two years ago. He recalls seeing incidents of vandalism of their shop. While some locals avoid doing business there because the Alis are Pakistani, the Major has “heard many a lady proudly speak of ‘our dear Pakistani friends at the shop’ as proof that Edgecombe St. Mary was a utopia of multicultural understanding” (6). Now, the two converse about their spouses, and the Major feels just as comfortable talking with Mrs. Ali as he did with Nancy.
The Major calls his son, Roger, who works at a private equity firm, and discovers that Roger has already heard about Bertie’s passing. The Major fears that Roger is evolving into one of those blunt, arrogant men whom London seems to breed. Roger warns that he might be late to the funeral because he has an important business concern.
Marjorie, Bertie’s widow, sets the funeral for Tuesday, which the Major finds inconvenient. She says that the Major might take some small token of Bertie’s as a remembrance, and the Major takes this as a hint that she does not intend to hand over the valuable gun. Mrs. Ali offers to drive the Major to the funeral, and he notes that she is a confident driver. Mrs. Ali speaks of how her nephew has come to work at the shop. Her husband’s family lives in the north and believes that she should retire and live with them. She would prefer to remain independent, but she says to the Major, “What is the rule of law against the weight of family opinion?” (15).
The Major finds the funeral a blend of comedy and misery. He is moved by the ceremony and by the attendance of several of his and Bertie’s old friends. Roger is not present.
Chapter 2 Summary
The Major finds Marjorie rude and offensive because she always talks about money. He goes to her house for a gathering after the service. Roger arrives late and says he has talked with Jemima, Bertie and Marjorie’s daughter, about the guns. They want to sell the pair, and Roger says he could use the money. The Major tries to conceal his outrage. Roger reveals that he and his girlfriend, Sandy, were looking at weekend cottages to rent. Roger insists on giving the Major a ride home, so the Major apologizes to Mrs. Ali, who is gracious about the change of plans.
Roger’s girlfriend, a blonde American named Sandy, arrives in a flashy car. The Major thinks she has appalling manners but tries to be polite for Roger’s sake. He winces when Sandy addresses him as Ernest rather than Major. The Major reflects that he and Nancy had Roger late in life, and Nancy spoiled the boy.
As they drive to his home, Rose Lodge, Sandy tells the Major that Roger wants to find a weekend cottage to be near him; she labels the Major an attraction of the area. They do not stay for tea, and the Major hopes that Roger realizes that he has behaved badly—without the Major having to tell him so. Their hug goodbye is awkward, but for a moment, the Major recalls “the small child he had always loved” (29). As he climbs the stairs of his house, he reflects that he could pass out, die, and not be found for days. He chides himself for acting like an old man just because Bertie has died.
Chapter 3 Summary
The Major receives visits from several concerned neighbors, including Alice Pierce, his next-door neighbor. He is also visited by Daisy Green, the vicar’s wife, along with Alma Shaw and Grace DeVere. Daisy is the type of woman who tries to control the social and civic life of the village. The Major suspects that Daisy, who enjoys directing people, is trying to interest him in the unmarried Grace. The Major finds Grace pleasant and intelligent, but he recalls being horrified by a previous instance when Daisy and Alma tried to turn their friendship into a courtship. The conversation grows uncomfortable, and the Major is pained to realize that when Bertie had his heart attack, no one thought to call the Major so that he might say goodbye to his younger brother.
The Major decides to walk to the village in hopes of seeing Mrs. Ali. He enjoys the wild, natural scenery of Sussex. The shop is small and well-stocked, and “[o]nly the canisters of loose tea and a dish of homemade samosas hinted at Mrs. Ali’s exotic heritage” (37). The Major wishes to express his gratitude for her kindness, but Mrs. Ali does not wish to speak in front of her nephew. She says that Abdul Wahid has recently returned from his studies in Pakistan, and she is trying to reeducate him about the way things are here. The Major arranges to ride into town with her on Thursday and feels lighter after their interaction.
Chapter 4 Summary
The rain on Thursday reminds the Major of the rain at Bertie’s wedding. He had been hoping to invite Mrs. Ali to walk along the seaside. Thinking he looks old, he decides to wear a sweater that Roger bought him, made by an expensive Italian designer. Mrs. Ali picks him up, and the Major notes the novels in the front passenger seat, including stories by de Maupassant in French. The Major reflects on his last visit to the mobile library van, where he encountered a temperamental toddler and could not find any books to his taste. Mrs. Ali speaks German and Urdu in addition to English. The Major notes, “Too few people today appreciate and pursue the delights of civilized culture for their own sake” (46). The Major enjoys the scenery as they drive to Hazelbourne-on-Sea.
The Major had always admired his father’s solicitor, Mr. Tewkesbury, for being humble, unpretentious, and modest. In contrast, Mortimer Teale, who is now his solicitor, seems oily and ambitious. The Major finds that he is the executor of Bertie’s will; Bertie has left everything to Marjorie. The will says nothing about the gun but only notes, “My wife may dispose of any and all personal effects as she deems fit. She knows my wishes in these matters” (51). Teale suggests that Bertie’s wish to leave the gun to the Major might have become a point of contention between the couple and says there is little he can do.
Chapter 5 Summary
Sitting on a park bench, the Major admits to himself that he begrudged Bertie the gun, and he now fears that Bertie is paying him back for his resentment. He recalls how their father, who “had sometimes failed to convey warmth but had taught him duty and honor” (56), given the boys each a gun when on his deathbed, with the specification that in the event of their deaths, they would pass their gun on to the other brother.
The story of how the Maharajah of India had given their father the set is a cherished family tale. When their mother died, the Major inherited the house, which needed repairs. He had given Bertie their mother’s jewelry but kept their grandmother’s china, even though Bertie hinted that he liked it. The Major had offered several times to buy back the gun, but Bertie had always refused. The Major had often argued with Nancy over his belief in stewardship and in preserving the family name and estate. Nancy had accused him of being conservative and uptight.
Now, the Major and Mrs. Ali walk along the promenade by the sea, though the Major does not approve of the modern design of the park. They discuss books, and the Major admits to liking Kipling, though such a preference is not popular to admit. Mrs. Ali admits that she likes Kipling too, even though she observes, “He seemed such a part of those who refuse to reconsider what Empire meant” (61). The Major swallows the impulse to defend the British Empire, which his father served.
Mrs. Ali says more about her family, admitting that she and her husband spoiled Abdul Wahid because they did not have a child of their own. Mrs. Ali’s father came to England after the Partition. He was a professor of applied mathematics. When he died, her uncles from Pakistan burned the books they could not sell.
In the public gardens, they encounter a small boy kicking a ball who is scolded by the lady running the tea kiosk. His mother, a young woman who is shabbily dressed and appears of be of Indian descent, takes exception when the kiosk lady suggests that things are different here than from where the boy is from. Mrs. Ali counsels the young woman to ignore the woman’s ignorant remarks. The boy’s name is George. Mrs. Ali sympathizes with the young woman’s fierceness but admits that it can become uncomfortable to refuse to bow before authority.
Although the Major usually finds it uncomfortable to converse with women, he enjoys the tea. During the discussion, he mentions that he is the executor of his brother’s will. Mrs. Ali reminds him that the law of the land is different from the pressures of family. Because she perceives that he is looking for ways to suggest seeing her again, Mrs. Ali asks if she might consult him further about Kipling.
Chapters 1-5 Analysis
The setting in East Sussex introduces several dimensions of British culture that examine the complexities involved in the issue of Cultural Prejudice and the Possibility of Integration. Most notably, the picturesque aspects of the rural countryside reflect the long tradition of land ownership by the aristocratic and gentry classes of Britain. Additionally, East Sussex is rife with seaside towns featuring shops and public spaces that are designed to attract tourists, and these areas contrast sharply with the presumed hustle of larger urban areas like London, which the Major perceives as being modern and soulless. The macrocosmic clash between these different settings mirrors the various interactions between nonwhite British populations and those whom Mrs. Ali refers to as the local “Anglo-Saxon” stock (15). While the place names of Edgecombe St. Mary and Hazelbourne-on-Sea are fictional, they nonetheless invoke the country’s Anglo-Saxon foundation, explaining the source of the irrational suspicion and hostility that certain characters who consider themselves to be indigenous to the area display toward more recent immigrants.
As the novel’s protagonist, the Major is referred to by his title, not his given name of Ernest, and this practice hints at his sense of decorum and the overriding formality that prevails in his interactions with others. The Major, with his abode in the 17th-century Rose Lodge, is rooted in the heavily traditional culture of the English countryside and clearly embraces the lifestyle once enjoyed by the English gentry—a nebulous upper middle class that was typically ranked above the working classes or tradespeople but below the peerage, of which the lofty Lord Dagenham is a member.
This countryside is often described in romantic terms, and it also becomes a metaphor for the Major’s appreciation for traditional ways, reflecting his preference for courtesy, quiet, and etiquette. For example, the Major notes that the scenery “never failed to fill his heart with a love of country that he would have been embarrassed to express aloud” (36). This private reflection shows his natural reserve at the prospect of sharing his opinions or feelings, hinting at his pride in his heritage and in the values with which he was raised. However, his tradition-minded rigidity includes an intense degree of loyalty to the Pettigrew name, and this aspect of his personality will later prove to be a source of conflict.
The Major’s attachment to time-honored customs causes tension on several levels, exemplifying the novel’s focus on the issue of Traditional Households and Resistance to Change. Specifically, the Major holds the expectation that he will now inherit the gun that his late brother once inherited from their father, thereby rejoining its brother and once again being displayed as a matched set. Though he is otherwise disinclined to ambition or boasting, the Major imagines that these expensive guns will earn him considerable admiration from his peers. E.J. Churchill is an English company that has been making shotguns since 1891 and is known for fine craftsmanship and high quality. It is also notable that the Maharajah of India gifted the Major’s father a pair of English-made weapons in return for his act of service; this gesture speaks to the influence of the British in India during this time. The question of whether Bertie’s wife, Marjorie, will honor this family agreement and bequeath the gun to the Major is a source of suspense that exacerbates the Major’s grief over losing his younger brother. Because he is keenly aware of being the last Pettigrew of his generation, he also begins to feel that he belongs to a vanishing era.
This tension between tradition and modernity is further illustrated by the Major’s son, Roger, who holds a completely different set of values. Whereas the Major is associated with the rural countryside and quiet village life, Roger is dedicated to the urban landscape of London and exudes an aura of voracious ambition and arrogant self-centeredness. Notably, he misses his uncle’s funeral so that he can view weekend rental cottages with his girlfriend, and this decision suggests that Roger prioritizes his own interests over familial relationships. The tensions that arise between the Major and Roger therefore exhibit The Tension Between Family Obligations and Personal Fulfillment, a conflict that Mrs. Ali is experiencing as she weathers the expectations of her husband’s family that she will retire and leave the shop to her nephew, Abdul Wahid.
Ironically, although the Major does not elsewhere express cultural prejudice, he is quick to condemn this belief of Pakistani culture that the man’s decisions and leadership should take precedence in matters of family direction. When Mrs. Ali shares her family’s hopes that Abdul Wahid will marry a Pakistani wife and that Mrs. Ali will live with her husband’s family and fulfill domestic duties, the Major’s response is to think, “That was the trouble with these immigrants […] They pretended to be English. Some of them were even born here. But under the surface were all these barbaric notions and allegiances to foreign customs” (15). By labeling Mrs. Ali’s culture “barbaric,” the Major exhibits his own prejudices and assumptions, which are embedded in centuries of unspoken tradition that dictate the nuances of “correct” British behavior.
The Major’s belief in the superiority of his own values and way of life are reflected in his attitude toward the American characters, such as Roger’s girlfriend, Sandy, whose forthright manner he finds grating. However, this issue does not register for him as a cultural prejudice, perhaps because the distinction is not based upon the color of an individual’s skin—unlike the insult that he registers when the tea lady assumes that George, as an active boy, is exhibiting the lesser manners of whatever non-British place he is from. The Major takes Mrs. Ali’s side and understands the racism that fuels the tea lady’s attitude. Even so, the Major’s character arc will require him to become more aware of his own emotional and cultural prejudices and to recognize the impact that his attitudes have on others.
This opening act also introduces the developing romance between the Major and Mrs. Ali, both of whom have lost their spouses. This dynamic is demonstrated when the Major silently lists the similarities between Mrs. Ali and his deceased wife, Nancy; these contemplations suggest that the Major is just as comfortable in Mrs. Ali’s presence as he was with Nancy. He is impressed by Mrs. Ali’s wit, kindness, graciousness, intelligence, and taste, and he also enjoys exploring their shared interest in literature. His admiration becomes explicit when he approves of her reading the 19th-century French author Guy de Maupassant, whose short stories, in particular “The Necklace,” are considered literary classics.
As the two discuss of the work of British poet and author Rudyard Kipling, their contrasting observations illustrate the broader philosophical points on which the Major and Mrs. Ali agree and disagree. While the Major wants to admire Kipling simply for his poetic skill, Mrs. Ali has the perspicacity to acknowledge the author’s imperialistic, Anglo-centric views and racist stereotypes. One example is Kipling’s poem “Gunga Din,” which features a British soldier whose life is saved by a Hindu man; the poem condescendingly suggests that although the non-British character is supposedly of an “inferior” culture, he is still capable of highly praised British qualities like valor and sacrifice. However, Mrs. Ali’s suggestion of using Kipling as an excuse for further conversation suggests that she and the Major might eventually find a way to connect despite their different backgrounds.
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